Understanding the Student Conduct Process

When the Office of
Student Conduct receives a report of an alleged policy violation, the
student(s) involved are contacted and provided with a Notification Letter regarding the
incident. The Notification Letter instructs the student to contact a Student Conduct Officer to attend
an Administrative Meeting. During this meeting, the Conduct Officer
and student will discuss the student’s involvement in the incident.
Specifically, the student will be:

(1)
Informed of the specific allegations made against them (or incident);(2)
Informed of the University policy(ies) or campus regulations allegedly violated
and;(3)
Provided the opportunity to give their response to the report(s), and offer
additional information that might help with resolution of the case.

Based on the discussion
in the meeting, the Student Conduct Officer must investigate the student’s
involvement in the incident, and determine if the student(s) is responsible for
violating the policy(ies). The Student Conduct Officer may choose to take no
action if it is determined that the initial report lacks information, is
unsupported based on new information or falls outside the purview of the
University of California Policies Applying to Campus Activities, Organizations,
and Students. If after discussion it is determined that the student was
responsible for a polic(ies) violation, the student will be notified in writing of the
sanction(s). After being notified
of the decision, the student(s) may either consent to the decision and imposed
sanction(s) or proceed to one of the following options:

(1) Appeal to the Dean of Students (or designee) or;(2) In the event a student’s status is affected in the form of a Suspension or Dismissal, the student has the right to ask to
have the case reheard by the Student Conduct Review Board (please note that this is only for cases of Suspension
or Dismissal).

For more information
about the campus student conduct procedures, refer to the Code of Conduct
Section 103.10. For more information about the formal hearing and appeal
process, please refer to the Appeals and Formal Hearing pages.

Advisors

Students are allowed an
advisor. An advisor can be an attorney, parent, friend, etc. During student
conduct related meetings, advisors may act as consultants for the student,
however, advisors may not speak on behalf of the student. If a student chooses
to have an attorney as the advisor, the student shall pay all fees, costs, and
expenses for the retention of an attorney. If the student chooses to be
accompanied by an advisor or attorney during an administrative meeting, the
student must sign a FERPA waiver, to grant access to the information. If an
attorney or advisor is to be present at a Student Conduct Review Board hearing, the Dean of Students must be notified of this fact at least ten
(10) business days prior to the hearing. In the interests of expediency, as a
general practice, hearings shall not be delayed due to the unavailability of an
advisor/attorney. Students and their advisors should refer to the
University of California Policies Applying to Campus Activities, Organizations,
and Students for more information about the role of the advisor(s) in the
process.

Records Keeping

The Office of Student
Conduct maintains the confidentiality of student records in accordance with
FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act). Student conduct records are
maintained for a minimum of seven (7) years from the academic year in which the
case was resolved. In cases involving acts of violence, the complainant may be
notified of the outcome of the proceedings, when appropriate. Otherwise, no
information will be released without the written consent of the student who is
alleged to have violated policy, or by court order or subpoena. Sanctions of
Suspension or Dismissal will be noted on your academic transcript (suspensions
will be noted only for the duration of the suspension). Additionally, any entity,
schools or companies, to which you give permission to inquire about your
academic records will be notified that you have a conduct record. Many graduate
schools request your academic records, as do many government agencies for
employment purposes (FBI, CIA, DHS, etc.).

Sanctions and Educational Outcomes

The Student
Conduct Process is primarily focused on providing opportunities for education.
These educational opportunities typically occur through discussion with a Student
Conduct Officer and the sanctioning process. Sanctions are imposed only if a
student has been found responsible for a policy violation. The primary goals of
sanctions are to protect the safety of the University community, to educate
students about the concerns related to the inappropriateness of their
misconduct, and to provide opportunities for students to learn new behaviors.
Sanctions are designed to allow the individual student to reflect upon the
impact of the violation(s) on the community. Sanctions are typically compromised
of two parts: a) an administrative sanction (warning, disciplinary probation,
suspension, dismissal from the university, etc.), and b) an educational outcome
requiring students to engage in an activity that will allow them to reflect
upon the incident and/or assist in repairing the affected community (restitution,
attending classes or workshops, community service, writing a reflection, etc.)

Sanctions
for issues of misconduct vary on a case-by-case basis. More than one sanction may
be imposed, depending on the severity of the violation. Previous violations are
taken into consideration when imposing sanctions violations. Examples of possible
sanctions include, but are not limited to the following: written warning,
disciplinary probation, restitution, restriction from areas of campus,
attending classes or workshops, educational projects, community service,
relocation or removal from housing in accordance with the housing contract,
removal from specific courses or activities, no contact provisions, suspension
or dismissal from the university.